Starting this winter, I was given the opportunity to do something I have never done before: design the set for the inaugural run of an original production.
My good friend Laura Chiarello had written a play that was incredibly near to her heart which she co-directed with the lovely Skye Jackson. The show was about the journey of a boy with schizophrenia through medication, friendship, love, and self-acceptance.
Skye and Laura asked me to incorporate transformative elements into a simple set that would work in a black box setting. I decided to try to maximize the uses of each set piece while minimizing the total number of pieces. A bookcase flipped around into a working locker. Boxes were chairs and held props. A futon was a bed, couch, and hospital bed.
The concept for the set was based partially on the book Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson. The main character of Milligrams, Donovan, is a writer, and his stories are shaped and helped by the voices in his head. To take away the "scary" component of schizophrenia, I wanted to treat it more as Donovan living in a dual reality, split between the real world and his own creation, much like the book's eponymous Harold. I also pulled from the sketchy line-art style of the book, exchanging the purple for black and white, which I hoped would catch the different color
washes from the lights.
I both designed and constructed this set with the help of my assistant, Laurel Arnold, and I think it is my favorite set to date. I am unbelievable proud and grateful to say I had a part in this project.
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